OUR PRINCIPLES
"to raise men and women in a better world"
Educating the next generation is a difficult and fascinating life-project in which parents, teachers and learners all take part, and which has as its objective the emergence of “the best way of life for each individual.” Our school has been conceived as both a time and a place to encourage, sustain and promote the personal, intellectual, physical, emotional and social development of each child, drawing on the unique qualities that characterise their interactions with the different environments and the many people they will come into contact with during their lives.
BILINGUALISM
"To look beyond your own front door" (Don Milani)
The distinguishing feature of our school is its English project: from the first year of nursery, mother-tongue English teachers stimulate the natural acquisition of a second language. The choice of English is due to the fact that it is today considered to be a universal language. As the latest scientific studies show, beginning to listen to and speak a different language in infancy facilitates natural and spontaneous acquisition of a second language, both in terms of comprehension and correct pronunciation.
FOCUS ON THE CHILD
“ It is necessary to start from the children, to let their interests guide you, to listen to their stories and to answer them when they ask: ‘Why?’” (M. Montessori)
Our school aims to spread and develop the idea that childhood - with its associated rights, resources and potential, which still all too often go unrecognised or missed – is the most significant period in life, because it is at this time that the foundations are laid for adulthood.
In order to guarantee the best opportunities for development, classroom activities are based on methodological choices that offer children the chance to be active protagonists in their own learning and growth. Every lesson aims therefore to develop their motivation and their curiosity towards every form of knowledge and experience.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SETTING
“Welcoming, attractive, stimulating and interchangeable settings are the gymnasium that awakens curiosity, the desire to go to school even on Saturday” (M. Montessori)
Our school has two sites in the town of Pescantina, near Verona. The town is based around the River Adige, in the heart of the Valpolicella countryside. Both sites are surrounded by nature, and the structures themselves favour a constant connection with the outside world.
Attention to setting is a characteristic both of internal and external spaces. Scientific evidence from research in the fields of architecture, psychology and pedagogy demonstrate how much welcoming and stimulating spaces impact on wellbeing and the quality of learning.
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FAMILIES
Our school delivers a high quality service by acting in collaboration with the families in the delicate task of raising their children. It promotes the right of every child to care, guidance and education and attempts to meet parental requests with an attitude based on flexibility and compromise.
For us, communication and collaboration with the families are fundamental; they are the essential ingredient for building a true educational community based on a solid relationship of trust.
